NAS10031,225+0.48%S&P7,819+0.58%GOLD$4,173+0.38%BTC$83,925−2.17%VIX15.01−3.29%live tape · as of 03:01 UTC
The Screen · Industrials · Conglomerates
Deluxe Corporation
DLX · the NYSE · USD · Market cap $1.0B · 4,571 employees
Deluxe Corporation provides technology-enabled solutions to small and medium-sized businesses, and financial institutions in the United States and Canada.
FAIL · Does not pass the screen
22.54 USD
Screen close, 2026-10-06 · not a live quote
Screened 2026-10-06 · the tape above runs as of 03:01 UTC · two dates, stated on purpose · verdict and workings shown in full · never trimmed
PRICE · FAIR-VALUE RANGE1M3M6MYTD1Y3Y5Y
What this means: price 22.54 against the desk's fair-value range, base estimate 35.00, over the last year.
Positioning no disclosures inside 60 days, left as found
Options no verdict drawn today, left as found
Ethical does not pass the values gate
Price22.54 USD
Fair value35.00
Ethical score70.0/100
Our investment reviews on this name
2026-10-02Read Accumulation23.45-3.9% to today
2026-08-27Read Markdown23.75-5.1% to today ✓
2026-07-26Read Accumulation26.05-13.5% to today
2026-07-02Read Distribution23.79-5.3% to today ✓
Our analytic regime reads on this name, dated and marked against the screened price. Small sample per name, and separate from the daily-framework accuracy on the Track Record page.
Deluxe Corporation holds its Markdown at $22.54. Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 72 days.
As held on the ledger · 2026-10-06
Phase
Markdown · caution
Quantitative state
Consolidating, no directional conviction, held for 72 days
Price at the screen
$22.54
Valuation
10.34 trailing · 5.57 forward price to earnings
Values screen
FAIL· score 70.0
Beta
1.23
The Workings
Five Screens, Shown in Full
Does not pass. Debt ratio
Test
Figure
Limit
What it means
Status
Business activity
Permissible
Core business clean
Its core business isn't built on prohibited lines: no gambling, alcohol, tobacco, weapons, or interest-based lending.
Pass
Debt load
51.70%
Below 33%
Interest-bearing debt is 51.7% of its assets, above the one-third ceiling the screen allows.
Fail
Interest-bearing cash
0.00%
Below 33%
Cash held in interest-bearing accounts and securities is 0.0% of assets, under the one-third limit.
Pass
Receivables
6.28%
Below 49%
Money owed to the company is 6.3% of assets, under the 49% limit.
Pass
Revenue purity
0.00%
Below 5%
Only 0.0% of revenue comes from non-compliant sources, under the 5% line.
Pass
Five checks adapted from AAOIFI screening standards: business activity plus four balance-sheet ratios. All five must pass for ethical clearance. Every figure is arithmetic on public accounts, not judgement.
The Ethical Read
Why It Falls Short, in Plain English
Deluxe's business is in a permissible area, but its interest-bearing debt is about 52% of the company, well over the ~33% line, so it does not pass on the financial screens.
Read as at 2026-10-07. It updates when the underlying figures move, and past reads are kept below.
Fair value range in USD, drawn from the 2026-10-06 screen. The gold marker is the market price at the same screen. A 55.3% margin of safety to the base estimate.
Third-party analyst targets: 4 covering, consensus Buy. The average target sits +40% from the screen price.
Reading the gap · Both our model and the analysts see meaningful upside from here.
Price History & Projections
Where it has been, where the models see it going. History from market close data; projection points are our fair-value estimates and third-party analyst targets, dated to the 2026-10-06 screen.
Fair value and rating are our own model estimates; the Street's range reflects third-party analyst estimates. Analysis, not advice.
The Business, in Plain Words
Deluxe clings to print while payments evolve
Picture a company still mailing paper checks to small businesses while rivals move money instantly through apps. Deluxe sits in that awkward spot, running four segments from merchant services to old-school printing, yet revenue has flatlined at zero growth. The forward earnings multiple of 6.3 times and 34 percent gap to our fair value of 35 dollars look tempting next to the 16 percent return on equity, and it clears the ethical screen cleanly.
We pass because zero top-line momentum and a thin 5 percent profit margin point to a business stuck defending declining print volumes rather than scaling the newer payments and data pieces. Three analysts see little to get excited about either, with no consensus rating and a median target of 32 dollars. Cheap valuations in low-growth industrials often mask eroding franchises, not bargains.
The real risk is a slow grind lower if print keeps shrinking faster than the other segments can offset, leaving returns hostage to cost cuts that cannot last forever. Even with the balance-sheet cushion implied by the current price, structural headwinds in legacy products rarely resolve through multiple compression alone.
The risks · The things to watch: it's a small-cap, so the share price can swing harder than the market; it carries a real debt load, which raises the stakes if revenue slips.
Plain-English interpretation of our own screen data. Analysis, not advice.
Where & How to Trade
DLX trades on the NYSE. As a listed security it is accessible through almost any international broker offering its home market. New to this, or investing from abroad? Our guide to accessing global markets covers brokers, currencies and the practical steps.
The framework has shifted from markdown to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved down 1.3% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows negative risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 6% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 56%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 26%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $33.
2026-08-27Markdown · changed$23.75-8.8%Entry 5
The framework has shifted from accumulation to markdown since the last review. Price is trending lower. Sellers are in control and the prior trend has reversed. Price has moved down 8.8% since our last review. Ethical screening: FAIL. This security does not pass our values-based screening criteria. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it C, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 6% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 56%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 26%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $33.
The framework has shifted from distribution to accumulation since the last review. Smart money appears to be quietly building positions. This typically precedes a markup phase. Price has moved up 9.5% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 6% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 56%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 26%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $33.
2026-07-18Distribution$23.79+0.0%Entry 3
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen. The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns. Our composite framework grades it D, carrying a low risk profile. Technically it is holding around 6% above its long-term trend line with momentum reading bearish. Over the past year the shares are up 56%. Our forward projection puts the odds of a 10% gain over the next month near 26%. The street (3 analysts) rates it none, with a mean price target of $33.
2026-07-03Distribution$23.79+0.0%Entry 2
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Price has moved down 0.0% since our last review. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.
2026-07-02Distribution$23.79Entry 1
The framework reads distribution. Smart money appears to be selling into strength. Institutional holders may be rotating out. Ethical screening: PASS with passing ethical screen (70). The risk-adjusted return profile shows modest positive risk-adjusted returns.
Each entry above was written on its date, before the outcome. A journal you can prune is not a journal.
